Indenting and sealing tool with selectively operable handles



Jan. 10, 1956 G. FRIEDMAN ET AL INDENTING AND SEALING TOOL WITH SELECTIVELY OPERABLE HANDLES Filed NOV. 14, 1952 w QM Nm Ne mm mm & \N l uh United States Patent INDENTING AND SEALING TOOL WITH SELECTIV ELY OPERABLE HANDLES Gerson Friedman and Michael D. Lazar, New York, N. Y., assignors to Burndy Engineering Company a corporation of New York Application November 14, 1952, Serial No. 320,452

4 Claims. (Cl. 81--15) Our invention relates to a portable compressing tool for indenting an electrical connector to a conductor and sealing the connector to the insulation of the conductor.

Our invention has for its principal object the provision of a dual purpose mechanical compressing tool operated through handles used for either indenting or sealing connectors in a range of connector sizes.

Other objects are to provide means for selectively using each of the handles of the tool for performing a different function; to provide means for operatively connecting a handle to perform its function; to provide means whereby one of the handles may be operatively connected while the other handle is disconnected; to provide means for adjusting the tool to the particular size of connector selected for each function; to provide a tool that is lighter, and more portable than present comparative tools; to provide a tool that can be operated by unskilled personnel without fear of damage or injury to tool or personnel; and to provide a tool having the foregoing characteristics that requires little maintenance.

We accomplish these and other objects and obtain our new results as will be apparent from the device described in the following specification, particularly pointed out in the claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of our tool.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same, with portions thereof removed.

Fig. 3 is a plan view similar to Fig. l with the top frame plate removed to show the inner construction.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view through the means for operatively connecting a handle to perform its function.

In the drawings reference numerals and 11 designate the top and bottom plates forming the housing frame of our invention having cut-out 12 to permit insertion of the connector 13 for sealing its shroud 14 to the insulation 15 of a conductor cable 16; and cut-out 17 for inserting the connector barrel 18 therein for indentation to the conductor.

Handles 19 and 20 are provided for operating the indenting and shroud closing mechanism respectively. The ends of the handles are provided with snap rings 21 for detachably securing the handles 19 and 20 to their respective socket members 23 and 24 which in turn are pivotally connected to plungers 25 and 26, and to plates 10 and 11 through toggle linkages 27 and 28 respectively. The linkages are designed to multiply the force exerted on the handles for driving the plungers against the seated connectors. The moving mechanism is contained in various recesses of the housing 29.

Plunger 25 has an indentor 30 formed on its working end. Opposing this plunger is nest 31 rotatably mounted to nest-locating bolt 32, threadedly engaging housing 29 positioned between the plates 10 and 11. Calibrated plate 33 indicates the proper setting for the nest for various connectors and cable sizes as indexed by guide line 34. The plunger and nest properly adjusted will enable the "ice . 2 required electrical and mechanical connections to be made for all the desired connector and cable sizes.

The other plunger 26 rotatably supports a shroudclosing die wheel 35 by means of shaft 36. The wheel can be rotated to select any one of the different shroud closing grooves 37. A ball check mechanism 38 of usual construction is positioned between the wheel and plunger to maintain the wheel in the position selected. Opposing the shroud closing die wheel is an identical connector supporting wheel 39 supported by shaft 40 in plates 10 and 11. The wheel 39 may also be rotated to the particular groove selected. A locking pin mechanism 41 leading through plate 10 with snap ring not shown, on the pin, locks wheel 39 in the position selected. The locking pin is pulled when it is desired to turn the wheel.

Wheels 39 and 35 are made of laminated working plates 42 and 43 respectively as shown in Fig. 2, with tiller plates 44 and 45 therebetween. The respective grooves are in the working plates. By alternating the position of working and filler plates in the two Wheels, the working plates of the respective wheels bypass each other in closing to swage down the metal shroud 14 of the connector 14 on the insulation 15 of cable 16. This produces a water-tight seal between connector and cable insulation.

Since the tool has two handles, each for driving its respective plunger, it is necessary to have some means of selecting one handle to do the work, keeping the other handle stationary to support the tool. This is done with the handle selector mechanism shown in section in Fig. 4 which comprises the knobs 46 and 47 attached to shaft 48 mounted on the plates of the tool. The'shat't has a reduced diameter 49 and a snap ring 50 for holding the shaft in one of the two positions. One position places the reduced diameter of the shaft on one side of the tool. The other position reverses this position, as is shown in Fig. 3. The sockets 23 and 24 are provided with eX- tensions 51 and 52 respectively which are slotted as at 53 and 54 to permit the shaft 48 to project therethrough. The reduced diameter of the shaft when positioned in one of the slots will permit the corresponding extension to slide therethrough. The directions are inscribed on plate 19 adjacent to the knob.

Recesses 55 and 56 in the frame permit the correct shroud groove sizes to be visually determined.

The mechanism described provides an ideal tool. for indenting or sealing connectors as desired. Means are provided for enabling the selected operation to function, and such means causes the correct handle to be freed to activate the toggle mechanism for the particular operation. The toggle mechanisms are provided back to back to permit a single selector mechanism to be used.

We have thus described our invention, but we desire it understood that it is not confined to the particular forms or uses shown and described, the same being merely illustrative, and that the invention may be carried out in other ways without departing from the spirit of our invention, and, therefore, we claim broadly the right to employ all equivalent instrumentalities coming within the scope of the appended claims, and by means of which, objects of our invention are attained and new results accomplished, as it is obvious that the particular embodiments herein shown and described are only some of the many that can be employed to attain these objects and accomplish these results.

We claim:

1. A tool comprising a body, a plurality of jaw members, a plurality of handles pivotally mounted to said body, each of said handles being connected to a jaw member and control means mounted on said body and linearly slidable from one handle to the other for simultaneously controlling the movement thereof.

2. The tool of claim 1 wherein the control means comp i s aft means. ha ing a p ur y f Po t ns or lective control of said handles.

3. A portable tool comprising a body, a plurality of handles pivotally mounted thereto, each of said handles connected to a jaw member and provided with overlap ping extensions, and means extending through said extensions and mounted to said body for locking any one of said handles against motion and simultaneously unlocking said other handle.

4. The. portable tool of claim 2 wherein the locking and unlocking means comprises an axially movable shaft with a diametrically reduced portion and movable axially to locate said reduced portion within one or the other extension thereby unlocking one and locking the other handle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Lyle Apr. 23, 1867 Lind Sept. 8, 1891 Murdock Feb. 11, 1902 Hughes -2 Sept. 14, 1915 Childress Sept. 25, 1934 Wood Mar. 16, 1943 Bratz Sept. 14,1943 Carlson Sept. 26, 19,44, Matthysse et a1 Mar. 25, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS France July 1, 1925 

